DIvIDEnD - Stephen M. Ross School of Business - University of ...

{ AluMnI SPoTlIGhT }
the apple never falls far from the tree.
this well-worn axiom is the guiding
principle behind online baby
boutique Bundlelove, founded by Sandy
Lee Carpenter, BBA ’00, and Kailyn
McCracken, MBA ’04. confused about
what to buy someone’s newborn? Just
take a cue from the offspring’s parents,
they say.
is mom a shoe addict or dad a foodie?
at bundlelove.com, shoppers can find specialty
“bundles” designed for almost any
personality or lifestyle: the jet-setter, rock
star, princess, neat freak, spa diva, tree hugger,
bookworm, smarty pants, and more.
there’s even a college-themed bundle,
ideal for little wolverines. “we really have
something for everyone,” says carpenter.
launched in January, santa monicabased
Bundlelove was born from the idea
that shopping for baby gifts should be
easy and fun, says carpenter.
“we’re both at that age where everyone
around us is having babies,” she
says. “finding a unique baby gift can be
difficult. we don’t like buying things off a
registry because it can be impersonal and,
frankly, a bit boring. But retail stores can
be time-consuming and intimidating.”
as for existing online baby stores,
60 DIvIDEnD spring 2010
labor of love
Baby Business Booms for Sandy lee carpenter, BBA ’00,
and Kailyn Mccracken, MBA ’04
Business partners Kailyn McCracken, MBA ’04, (left) and sandy Lee
Carpenter, BBA ’00, met in Los Angeles through mutual friends.
carpenter and mccracken find them
“cluttered and overwhelming.”
“we knew there was a better
solution,” says carpenter. “neither of us
have kids, so we wanted to create a store
for people like us who may not know
exactly what to buy but want to send a
personal, memorable gift.”
they also wanted to create a seamless
and streamlined consumer experience.
Bundles are pre-packaged and giftwrapped
for one-stop shopping. “we
wanted the gifts to be personal enough
to send to a friend, but also sophisticated
enough to send to a boss or business
client,” says mccracken. “and you don’t
have to think about piecing items together
or wrapping your gift because we’ve
already done the work for you.”
Bundles range from $65–$265 and may
include clothing, books, cDs, skin products,
and toys mostly geared for babies up
to a year old. carpenter and mccracken
spend countless hours researching and
selecting products and brands, which include
Zootie Patootie, aden + anais, green
to grow, and erba organics. the chic Belle
baby carrier (included in the Jet setter
bundle) is favored by celebrities; the convertible
Babymel diaper bag (which comes
in the super Dad) is two bags in one.
the business partners also wanted to
make a statement with a brand identity
that stands out from typical baby fare.
Bundlelove eschews cutesy pastels and
traditional iconography in favor
of a more contemporary online look and
feel. the approach is generating
attention from several major mom-
targeted blogs, such as strollertraffic.com
and popsugar.com, which have featured
various bundles on their sites.
“we’re definitely going to continue
to take advantage of social media,” says
mccracken. “we’re reaching out to
different blogs all the time and developing
our following on facebook and twitter.
it is an amazing time when the most
powerful marketing tools are available
free of charge.”
the next major push will be a marketing
effort directed at corporations.
for now, mccracken and carpenter are
nurturing their nascent business carefully
and monitoring its growth, much like
watchful parents.
“we have made a great deal of progress
in the last nine months to launch the site,”
says carpenter. “But we know the biggest
challenges are still ahead of us and can’t
wait to take our ‘baby’ to the next level.”
—Leah Sipher-Mann
photos courtesy of bundlelove